Patriots' Mike Vrabel Drops Cryptic Response on Potential QB Trade

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel delivered a cryptic response when discussing the possibility of a quarterback trade.

Mar 31, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots clearly have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye (or at least it appears they do), so that spot under center is locked down for the foreseeable future.

That means backup quarterback Joe Milton III is trade bait, and ever since his impressive Week 18 performance, he has been a pretty hot candidate on the trade market.

Of course, nothing concrete has formed just yet, but that could change with the NFL Draft surfacing in a few weeks.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel commented on Milton's availability while speaking to reporters on Monday, and his statement on the signal-caller was fairly cryptic.

“Where that leads to we’ll see as the draft approaches, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program,” Vrabel said.

New England selected Milton in the sixth round of the NFL Draft last year, which was fairly odd considering the Pats also took Maye with the No. 3 overall pick.

Perhaps the Patriots were selecting Milton as a backup plan, or maybe they just felt he was the best player on the board at the time. Regardless, the University of Tennessee product definitely has talent, as he has a cannon for an arm and very solid athleticism.

Milton's accuracy, however, is another story, as he completed just 61.6 percent of his passes throughout his collegiate career, although he did post a completion percentage of over 64 percent over his final two seasons at Tennessee.

Still, in an NFL where quarterbacks come at a premium, there may be a team out there willing to surrender a decent draft pick for Milton. However, at this point, it seems unlikely that he would fetch anything more than a fourth-round selection, at best.

That being said, that could change in the coming weeks as clubs get more desperate.

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